The invention relates to wafer-holding techniques and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for holding semiconductor wafers that are to be processed.
Various instrumentalities are known in the semiconductor art for holding wafers during the processing steps of a fabrication sequence. The mechanism that holds the wafers should be capable of being automatically loaded and unloaded in a simple low-contamination way. Once loaded, the mechanism should hold the wafers securely during any handling that is required to move the wafers into and out of a processing chamber. In the chamber, the wafers held in the mechanism should be capable of being maintained in good electrical and thermal contact with a base member on which the wafer-holding mechanism is to be mounted.
Considerable effort has been directed by workers in the art aimed at devising new and improved wafer-holding techniques characterized by the above and other desirable attributes. It was recognized that such efforts, if successful, could facilitate the handling of wafers, improve the processing thereof and thereby lower the cost of devices and circuits formed thereon.